As a top-tier agent, Black Widow was extremely accurate when it came to judging people. Although the two of them chatted casually about various things, she knew very well that Qin Xiao had no interest in joining the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D.
Everyone knew that too much was as bad as too little. For the time being, Black Widow and Qin Xiao were simply friends, so Nick Fury temporarily shifted his attention elsewhere.
Only Fury himself knew how many spies were secretly keeping watch on Qin Xiao.
As for Tony Stark, he had been missing for nearly half a month.
The U.S. military and the FBI had carried out a frenzied search across Afghanistan, but there was still no trace of him.
"Agent Romanoff, do you miss me?"
On the fourteenth day after Tony Stark's disappearance, Qin Xiao received a mission from the system:
Rescue Tony Stark.
Qin Xiao had originally thought he would have to wait for Tony to return, for the plot to officially begin, and then defeat the villain.
Unexpectedly, the mission arrived far earlier than he had anticipated.
Although Qin Xiao had seen the movie, he wasn't omniscient—for example, he had no idea where the cave was located.
The military and the FBI had swept Afghanistan like a swarm of locusts and still found nothing, let alone Qin Xiao acting alone.
So he called Black Widow.
"Compared to my current working environment—yes, I miss you very much. Working with you feels like a vacation."
Black Widow's voice was loud, accompanied by gunfire.
"Are you on a mission right now? Or should we talk later?"
"Wait a moment…" Black Widow said softly.
Through the phone, Qin Xiao heard all kinds of noise—gunshots, groans, bodies hitting the ground.
Finally, a shrill, agonized male scream came through the line…
Then Black Widow picked up again.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
"Uh…"
That scream was disturbingly memorable, and Qin Xiao couldn't help asking,
"What did you do to the guy who just screamed?"
"I stomped his balls into a burrito."
"Hiss—!!!"
Qin Xiao had spoken first, but Black Widow said it in a half-joking tone.
Even so, Qin Xiao sucked in a sharp breath. Judging from the man's scream, he doubted she was joking at all.
He suddenly felt a faint ache in his lower body and instinctively shifted his sitting position.
Then he moved on to serious matters.
"Obadiah Stane, Stark Industries' second-largest shareholder—you know him. I need some information on him. Are you in Los Angeles? It would be best if we talked in person."
"You suspect Stark's disappearance has something to do with him?"
Black Widow reacted quickly. After a brief pause, she shot back the question.
"Yes. Are you in Los Angeles? I think we should meet—and don't tell anyone for now."
"Wait for me. I'll be there in two hours."
She hung up immediately.
In reality, Black Widow arrived at Qin Xiao's door in just an hour and a half.
Clearly, S.H.I.E.L.D. was also paying close attention to Tony Stark's disappearance.
She was still wearing her black, form-fitting combat suit when she arrived—she hadn't even changed.
"Ooooooh!"
Qin Xiao whistled.
"Walking around at night dressed like this is an insult to the criminal underworld."
"If they don't mind their balls turning into burritos, I'd be delighted," Black Widow replied coolly.
She gently pushed Qin Xiao aside and sat down on the couch.
"Tell me—why do you suspect him?"
Straight to the point.
"First of all, aside from the people around him and the military, very few knew Tony's travel plans and route to Afghanistan."
Qin Xiao took a drink from the fridge and handed it to her.
"I trust the military has already conducted internal checks. Second, after Stark went missing, who benefits the most? Only he fits both conditions. It's simple—just watch a few mystery movies."
He spoke exaggeratedly.
In fact, he wasn't the only one who could have suspected this.
When Tony Stark's father died, Obadiah had stepped in to help Tony stabilize the company and eventually gain full control.
If Obadiah had wanted to seize the company, that would have been the perfect opportunity.
So in everyone's eyes, Obadiah was like an uncle—helping Tony manage Stark Industries, handling public relations during crises, and cleaning up Tony's messes.
He appeared to be the greatest asset Howard Stark had left his son.
Everyone knew this, and Qin Xiao—who had spent so much time with Tony—knew it too.
So he continued,
"Everyone thinks Obadiah helped Tony take control of Stark Industries. But in reality, only Obadiah knew that Tony was a goose that laid golden eggs."
"He's different from Tony and his father. He's a businessman—an investor. He's very good at investing, whether it was in Howard Stark or Tony Stark. Now it's time for him to collect his return."
Qin Xiao's reasoning made sense.
As long as there was motive, the only one who fit all the conditions was the bald-headed Obadiah.
"I admit your logic makes sense," Black Widow said helplessly, gesturing with her hands."But it's far from enough. We can't arrest someone based on speculation alone. I'm not the Secretary of Defense."
"I know," Qin Xiao replied."I never said I wanted to arrest him. I just want to know where Stark is. I just want to save my friend."
"If he really did this, he must have contacted whoever kidnapped Tony—and that would leave traces. You know what I mean. You're the expert here."
"Just try. If it doesn't work, nothing bad happens. Quietly check some of his private records—emails, call logs, things like that. That shouldn't be difficult for you."
For the famous Black Widow, secretly investigating someone was trivial.
But Stark Industries' internal network gave her a real headache.
Stark Industries had its own communication satellites and a fully independent internal network.
All external networks could connect normally, but the moment a data breach was detected, alarms would trigger and the network would be cut immediately.
Simple, crude—but extremely effective.
They needed access from inside.
Just as Qin Xiao was hesitating over whether to ask Happy or Pepper for help, Black Widow stepped outside to make a phone call.
When she returned, she said calmly,
"Alright. Now we wait for the results."
"Done already?" Qin Xiao asked in surprise."Didn't you just say there was no way unless we went through the inside? Do you have someone in Stark Industries?"
"It's not my decision alone—it's ours," Black Widow said confidently."I asked the Director to mobilize personnel from Stark Industries. We should hear something soon."
Qin Xiao was no longer calm.
"What?! You told your superior? Didn't I tell you not to tell anyone?"
"I'm on a mission," she snapped."I can't just disappear and travel halfway across the country to see you without reporting it. I have to report. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry. We're the largest intelligence organization in the world. Our people have been tested thousands of times. The person I selected is not only professional, but absolutely reliable."
Black Widow spoke with anger.
Qin Xiao rolled his eyes.
One day, you'll find out what HYDRA really is.
For now, all they could do was pray that the people Nick Fury was using weren't part of HYDRA.
Otherwise, who knew how many unexpected disasters this would trigger?
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